Looking at the best of the Browns - 05/27/13 12:02 AM
Around the NFL: Looking at the best of these Browns
By Steve Doerschuk
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted May 25, 2013 @ 11:53 PM
The gates are open in Berea again. The media has been invited to soak in two hours of full-squad practices the last two Thursdays.
As we see new head coach Rob Chudzinski’s team beginning to take shape, here is one view of the Browns’ 15 best players. Then, we look at who might move up as spring practice flows into training camp.
THE BEST
1, Left tackle Joe Thomas. Six Pro Bowls later ...
Upside What you see is what you get. The guess is at least half his NFL playing career is behind him.
2, Cornerback Joe Haden. In theory, last year’s suspension left him with a new, improved head.
Upside The team was a mess by the time he came back last year. If he has matured, he should have a Pro Bowl in him.
3, Safety T.J. Ward. It would be asking a lot for him to take one more nice step and approach the Reed-Polamalu line. It isn’t out of the question.
Upside There was one current of sentiment that he is close to reaching his potential. He made Peter King’s All-Pro team in 2012.
4, Outside linebacker Paul Kruger. On a roster with an alarming lack of playoff experience, he had two sacks in this year’s Super Bowl.
Upside At age 27, in his fifth NFL season, he’s scheduled for more snaps than he’s ever played in the NFL. The Browns bet $40 million he is more than he was allowed to show in Baltimore.
5, Wide receiver Josh Gordon. While a member of the Baylor Bears in 2010, he and a teammate fell asleep in a drive-through line at a Taco Bell. Police came. There was trouble ... then more trouble later. The kid, 22 now, had better not be putting on just a good act that makes it appear he has woken up.
Upside Gordon logged in at 6-foot-31⁄8, 224 pounds 10 months ago in his workout prior to the supplemental draft. That kind of size, coupled with his speed and (when he is focused) sixth sense for getting open make him a dangerous man.
6, Inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson. The Browns are famous for doomed story lines, but here’s a guy who has played 32 straight games after a two-year injury nightmare.
Upside He will turn 30 in September, but he thinks the new coordinator will give him freedom that could result in a career year.
7, Center Alex Mack. Some scouts say Mack has become a good, but not great, center. Mack is the type of fighter who would like to put a good drive block on those scouts.
Upside Mack is close to as good as he is going to get. Since that places him among the league’s top third of centers, it’s not a bad place to have plateaued.
8, Wide receiver Greg Little. He grew up and finished strong, becoming the team’s most consistently reliable target in the last month of 2012.
Upside There should be plenty. He lights up in talking about the new coaches’ scheme. He is less than three years removed from sitting out his last year of college ball. He turns 24 next week.
9, Running back Trent Richardson. That his per-carry average was a meager 3.6 as a rookie raised concerns about being worth a No. 3 overall pick.
Upside Subtract last year’s injuries. Add a coordinator who has a long history of nurturing running backs. Acknowledge his year of experience. He could become one of the team’s best players.
10, Outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo. Jackson has been around long enough to say Mingo is coming along fairly well and leave it at that. Rookie mistakes might outnumber big plays for a while.
Upside The chiefs think he can become one of best pass rushers on the planet.
11, Nose tackle Phil Taylor. Tom Heckert saw him as such a fit for Dick Jauron’s 4-3 that he traded up from No. 27 to No. 21 to draft him.
Upside Two years later, new coaches must prove they can wedge him into Ray Horton’s scheme. The jury is out coming off a season half wrecked by a pectoral tear.
12, Defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin. The new coaches must find a role that expands rather than reduces his impact.
Upside Rubin is young for a sixth-year player, not turning 27 until July.
13, Wide receiver Davone Bess. He caught 61 of rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s passes in 13 starts last year.
Upside He still is young, turning 28 in September, and seems to be warming up to Norv Turner’s offense, coming off a coordinator carousel in Miami.
14, Defensive lineman Desmond Bryant. Beyond the stats, Browns coaches and scouts like the way he made quarterbacks alter their behavior in 2012, when he was a fourth-year Raider.
Upside At 27, coming off his best year, he strikes coaches as the type to be inspired by a big new contract, rather than made comfortable by it.
15, Outside linebacker Jabaal Sheard. He made six of seven 2012 sacks in the second half of 2012, including two in the season finale at Pittsburgh.
Upside He seemed to be a natural as a 4-3 end. Here’s another case where coaches must be careful about wasting talent. He totaled four sacks against the Ravens and Steelers last year.
MOVE LIST
• Quarterback Brandon Weeden does not make the initial list. He needs to climb on to it. Basically, how high Weeden climbs into the top 15 will reflect how much the Browns improve in the AFC North standings.
• Tight end Jordan Cameron is athletic enough to knock on the door, but he was nonexistent through much of his first two years in the league. If he becomes a factor, both Weeden and the team will be better. If not, tight end could become a crippling weakness.
• Cornerback Buster Skrine is fast enough to make the list. Horton even calls him “a dynamic player.” He has yet to prove, though, that he is good enough to start, or even to be a consistent No. 3 corner.
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By Steve Doerschuk
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted May 25, 2013 @ 11:53 PM
The gates are open in Berea again. The media has been invited to soak in two hours of full-squad practices the last two Thursdays.
As we see new head coach Rob Chudzinski’s team beginning to take shape, here is one view of the Browns’ 15 best players. Then, we look at who might move up as spring practice flows into training camp.
THE BEST
1, Left tackle Joe Thomas. Six Pro Bowls later ...
Upside What you see is what you get. The guess is at least half his NFL playing career is behind him.
2, Cornerback Joe Haden. In theory, last year’s suspension left him with a new, improved head.
Upside The team was a mess by the time he came back last year. If he has matured, he should have a Pro Bowl in him.
3, Safety T.J. Ward. It would be asking a lot for him to take one more nice step and approach the Reed-Polamalu line. It isn’t out of the question.
Upside There was one current of sentiment that he is close to reaching his potential. He made Peter King’s All-Pro team in 2012.
4, Outside linebacker Paul Kruger. On a roster with an alarming lack of playoff experience, he had two sacks in this year’s Super Bowl.
Upside At age 27, in his fifth NFL season, he’s scheduled for more snaps than he’s ever played in the NFL. The Browns bet $40 million he is more than he was allowed to show in Baltimore.
5, Wide receiver Josh Gordon. While a member of the Baylor Bears in 2010, he and a teammate fell asleep in a drive-through line at a Taco Bell. Police came. There was trouble ... then more trouble later. The kid, 22 now, had better not be putting on just a good act that makes it appear he has woken up.
Upside Gordon logged in at 6-foot-31⁄8, 224 pounds 10 months ago in his workout prior to the supplemental draft. That kind of size, coupled with his speed and (when he is focused) sixth sense for getting open make him a dangerous man.
6, Inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson. The Browns are famous for doomed story lines, but here’s a guy who has played 32 straight games after a two-year injury nightmare.
Upside He will turn 30 in September, but he thinks the new coordinator will give him freedom that could result in a career year.
7, Center Alex Mack. Some scouts say Mack has become a good, but not great, center. Mack is the type of fighter who would like to put a good drive block on those scouts.
Upside Mack is close to as good as he is going to get. Since that places him among the league’s top third of centers, it’s not a bad place to have plateaued.
8, Wide receiver Greg Little. He grew up and finished strong, becoming the team’s most consistently reliable target in the last month of 2012.
Upside There should be plenty. He lights up in talking about the new coaches’ scheme. He is less than three years removed from sitting out his last year of college ball. He turns 24 next week.
9, Running back Trent Richardson. That his per-carry average was a meager 3.6 as a rookie raised concerns about being worth a No. 3 overall pick.
Upside Subtract last year’s injuries. Add a coordinator who has a long history of nurturing running backs. Acknowledge his year of experience. He could become one of the team’s best players.
10, Outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo. Jackson has been around long enough to say Mingo is coming along fairly well and leave it at that. Rookie mistakes might outnumber big plays for a while.
Upside The chiefs think he can become one of best pass rushers on the planet.
11, Nose tackle Phil Taylor. Tom Heckert saw him as such a fit for Dick Jauron’s 4-3 that he traded up from No. 27 to No. 21 to draft him.
Upside Two years later, new coaches must prove they can wedge him into Ray Horton’s scheme. The jury is out coming off a season half wrecked by a pectoral tear.
12, Defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin. The new coaches must find a role that expands rather than reduces his impact.
Upside Rubin is young for a sixth-year player, not turning 27 until July.
13, Wide receiver Davone Bess. He caught 61 of rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s passes in 13 starts last year.
Upside He still is young, turning 28 in September, and seems to be warming up to Norv Turner’s offense, coming off a coordinator carousel in Miami.
14, Defensive lineman Desmond Bryant. Beyond the stats, Browns coaches and scouts like the way he made quarterbacks alter their behavior in 2012, when he was a fourth-year Raider.
Upside At 27, coming off his best year, he strikes coaches as the type to be inspired by a big new contract, rather than made comfortable by it.
15, Outside linebacker Jabaal Sheard. He made six of seven 2012 sacks in the second half of 2012, including two in the season finale at Pittsburgh.
Upside He seemed to be a natural as a 4-3 end. Here’s another case where coaches must be careful about wasting talent. He totaled four sacks against the Ravens and Steelers last year.
MOVE LIST
• Quarterback Brandon Weeden does not make the initial list. He needs to climb on to it. Basically, how high Weeden climbs into the top 15 will reflect how much the Browns improve in the AFC North standings.
• Tight end Jordan Cameron is athletic enough to knock on the door, but he was nonexistent through much of his first two years in the league. If he becomes a factor, both Weeden and the team will be better. If not, tight end could become a crippling weakness.
• Cornerback Buster Skrine is fast enough to make the list. Horton even calls him “a dynamic player.” He has yet to prove, though, that he is good enough to start, or even to be a consistent No. 3 corner.
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